The Last of the Cliffhangers Unit
by Princess Hannah
Summary: Scott and Elaine were always enemies. Now, they're Generals fighting each other in a war. Then, things heat up when the Cliffhangers are brought in as a Special Forces Unit! Rated T for language and violence.
1. Intro

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Here's the plan, if I get enough positive reaction from this, I'll turn it into a full fic. I don't own anything Higher Ground related. This is a Crystal Journeys story so the concept here is MINE. Enjoy.

* * *

_

I'm lying here,

Alone, in the dirt,

Covered in blood,

And not just my own.

Whose blood?

Elaine's blood,

Shelby's blood,

My blood.

Our latest battle has been won,

For everyone on our side

Except me.

My name is Scott Barringer.

I lead the special forces unit: Cliffhangers.

Where is my unit, you ask?

They're dead.

All of them,

Except me.

I survived.

I always survive.

I was sometimes called Mr. Indestructible

Back in the day.

Those days are gone.

The happier days.

They ended once before,

Now they've ended again

Here on this battlefield.

I remember…

* * *

_Okay, now if enough people review saying that they want to find out what the hell is happening here and how it got that way...YOU GOT IT! So, PLEASE REVIEW! _


	2. Reunions and a New Assignment

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Well, you have spoken and I have listened. Here's the next part of the ficcie. Think of it as a late Christmas present. I would've gotten it up earlier but…yeah. Stuff happened. I don't own any Higher Ground or Metal Gear Solid characters. Yes, that's right, Metal Gear Solid characters in a Higher Ground fic. Jeff is a friend of mine so I don't own him either. I'm not claiming ownership for Snake's last name being "Sears" because I'm sure everybody does that. Everything else (including "Kiyamoto" as Raiden's last name) is MINE. NO STEALING. Enjoy.

* * *

_

_The year was 2027. The Crystal's Alliance's home planet, E-Max, was at war. Our long-time enemies, The Alliance of Dark Chaos (or ADC), had laid siege to the capital, Capitopolis, and I had been called in as a general to help fight. I willingly accepted, for one of the ADC generals was the one person I could call my worst enemy, the woman who virtually destroyed my life: Elaine._

_Known as "Mistress Elaine" or "Madam General" to her lackeys and inferiors, she had turned herself into a demon (literally) over 20 years ago in order to officially join the ADC. I'd go into detail about all the hell and trauma that put me through…but I won't. Let the Realm Master save that for another fic. Anyway, back to the war._

_This war had been aptly dubbed: the War of Good and Evil by our boss, Queen Hannah. During the first major battle, our Secret Service head, Jeff Lang, who was a good friend of mine, was killed by enemy forces. Another good friend of mine (whose throat I used to be at), Raiden Kiyamoto, stepped in to take his place. Okay, now here's where he becomes important. When we began military training a few years back, he and his fellow operative, David Sears, known to everyone as "Solid Snake" (or just "Snake") suddenly became very secretive about what they did in their spare time. It wasn't long after Raiden's big "promotion" that I found out what they were up to._

"General Barringer," said an E-Maxen soldier to Scott. He turned around.

"Yes, Captain Caprice?" said Scott, who was dressed in an E-Maxen general's uniform: a green jacket with gold epaulettes on the shoulders over a green-yellow shirt with grey pants and sturdy black boots.

"General Snake and General Kiyamoto have requested an audience," said Captain Caprice "They say it's quite urgent." Scott looked at him with an expression of curiosity on his face.

"All right," he said, and left the room.

_Snake and Raiden, I then found out, had called for me from M.A.R.S. Program. What the hell were they thinking? For God's sake, that's on Mobius! Fortunately for me, they had already set up a transporter to get me there. Just the fact that they pulled that off was astounding. I thought that the ADC had cut off all connections from E-Max to other planets. Oh well, M.A.R.S. Program always thinks of everything. Including this._

"Ah," said Snake as Scott entered the room "There you are." Both Snake and Raiden were dressed in the same uniform as Scott.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" said Scott. Raiden filled him in, making his way towards a panel as he did so.

"Scott," he said "When we started training a few years ago, it occurred to us that E-Max had no special forces unit besides the Alliance."

"Yeah," said Scott "So?"

"So," said Snake "We knew that if war were to break out, we Alliance members would be too busy fighting in actually warfareto, shall we say, carry out the same actions that Raiden and I have in our games?"

"We knew we needed people with unique past experiences similar to yours," said Raiden "So, when it came to choosing our source for special forces, the choice was obvious."

_I honestly didn't know where they were going with this, but, damn was I in shock when Raiden hit a button on the control panel to reveal…_

"General Scott Barringer," said Raiden "We give you, Special Forces Unit: Cliffhangers."

"They're yours to command," said Snake.

_For a minute, time stopped for me. There they were, all seven of them. David, Juliette, Auggie, Katherine, Daisy, Ezra…and Shelby, and they all looked like G.I.s from the 80's. I'm not sure how long I actually stood there, or even if I heard Kat say _"Surprise." _All I really remember of that moment was that I fell to my knees and whispered _"Im…possible." _I stared at the floor for a moment before looking up and saying _"You…guys…are real?"

"Yep," said Raiden "They're the real deal."

"Not clones or bioengineering," said Snake "Just the original flesh and blood, with special training and abilities." He ended with a smile.

"But," said Scott "The worldgate…"

"Opened back up for us," said Ezra, slyly.

"Your friends always said a closed worldgate would open up again if it was 'meant to be'," said Daisy. Shelby came off the platform and slowly walked towards Scott and took his face in her hand.

_That moment she touched me, I knew she was really there. And my heart told me this wasn't a dream either._

"This was meant to be," said Shelby. Scott didn't hesitate, didn't even bother to say her name before bolting upright and embracing Shelby in a deep kiss.

_I never thought I'd see Shelby again, but I didn't know then that I would be losing her again sooner than I thought._

"Okay," said David, out of the blue "Group hug!"

"_No_!" said everyone. Scott and Shelby laughed in each other's arms. Then Scott looked her in the eyes.

"Shelby…" The name had not been spoken to address her for over 20 years, and yet, just as though the two appeared not to have aged, it came fluidly from Scott's lips as though he had been repeating it to himself ever since the day of the accident. Shelby ran her fingers through his hair.

"Guess your reality doesn't suck, huh?" she said. Scott smiled.

"No," said Scott "I guess it…"

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP

"Huh?" said Raiden as he rushed over to some nearby transmission screens. He hit a button and two of the screens lit up, revealing the images of two women, a brunette and a blond. "Rosemary?"

"Michelle?" said Scott, breaking apart from Shelby. Both women looked panicked.

"Scott," said Michelle, the blond "I'm really sorry to break up your reunion, but we have an emergency situation!"

"Heeeeeyyyy," said Auggie "Looks like our first mission."

"What's going on?" said Raiden, beginning to sound panicked himself.

"Scott!" said Rosemary "It's Elaine! She…" the screens started to fizzle out.

"Snake!" cried Raiden "We're losing the transmission!" Snake and Scott ran over and adjusted a few knobs. Both images came back clear.

"Elaine is marching on Gal Chinchoko! _Elaine is marching on Gal Chinchoko!_" Raiden's eyes dilated to pinpoints. Gal Chinchoko was his home town. The screens went blank.

"_Rosemary!_" he cried.

"Did she just say what I think she just said?" said Juliette.

"Yeah," said Scott "My step-mom's on the move and someone's gotta stop her."

* * *

_And there's part 2. Hope ya liked! More coming as soon as I can type it up. BTW, yes, Michelle is my original character. No, she and Rosemary have not been captured, the screen thing was just for a dramatic effect. Yes, I DO like Rosemary and am a full Raiden/Rosemary supporter (but I do read Snake/Raiden fics (evil grin)). No, I am not nuts, nor have I ever played MGS 2. Yes, I'm stopping now._


	3. Unit Profiles

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Well, I thought I'd treat you all to an early update in honor of the coming year. Here's the catch though, it's a short update and it's not really an update. It mainly profiles each character briefly and sets up the stage for the next chapter which explains a bit of back story concerning Elaine. Thanx to my friend Kayla for the "kinetics" info. Thanx to all who reviewed! Oh, and I forgot to mention from the last chapter: I don't own Mobius. Enjoy.

* * *

_

_This was the beginning of a new development for all of us. We confronted Elaine's army in a sort of guerilla fight along with Raiden's army and we won. Somewhere in there, Auggie ran into Elaine herself and she slashed his left eye out. Juliette managed to get him out of there somehow. Oh, by the way, I don't think I got a chance to formally introduce my comrades. Here are their files:_

**Name:** David Ruxon

**Abilities:** Having Attention Deficit Disorder, David is truly the behavioral oddball of the unit. He is quite skilled with large, handheld projectile weapons, his favorite being a class: DE machine gun.

**Name:** Ezra Friedkin

**Abilities: **Our resident chemical expert. Thought at one point to be a vitakinetic (someone with the power of medicine and healing), Ezra is a professional with short-range, small-scale chemical and biological weapons.

**Name:** Katherine Ann Cabot

**Abilities: **A perfectionist in the ancient weapon-based war arts. Katherine's weapon of choice is a crossbow, but is also skilled with normal arrows and medium-sized, handheld projectile weapons.

**Name: **Daisy Lipenowski

**Abilities: **Our resident part-time seer. Though she developed true psychic abilities when she began training, she prefers hand-to-hand combat due to her belief that "If you're going to kill someone, you should at least do it in a way that tells them how they're being off-ed."

**Name: **Augusto "Auggie" Ciceros

**Abilities: **Possesses one of the most unique and unusual abilities in the whole military. After his left eye was cut out during a chance encounter with Elaine, the strength of his right eye was increased to beyond anything that was thought physically possible. He serves as our top sniper/sharp-shooter/lookout…basically anything that involves good eyesight.

**Name: **Juliette Waybourne

**Abilities: **Our group optimist. Juliette is quite skilled in the use of knifes and daggers as weapons, but has yet to compare to Scott's ability to do the same.

**Name: **Shelby Merrick

**Abilities: **Considered by most to be Scott's second-in-command. During her training, Shelby developed the ability to defy friction at will, allowing her to pull off some pretty kick-ass spinning attacks without breaking a sweat.

**Name: **Scott Barringer

**Crystal Class: **Warrior, Gunslinger, Alternative Spellcaster

**Abilities: **Undoubtedly the cream of the crop, largely due to his 20 years experience fighting for The Crystal Alliance. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting, gun fighting, knife dueling and limited use of magic.

**Name: **Michelle Angelo

**Crystal Class: **Mild Geokinetic (Someone with the power of the earth)

**Abilities: **"Substituted" for Shelby as Scott's girlfriend for the past 20 years. Known to the rest of E-Max as an acclaimed artist of highly praised heritage, she works alongside Rosemary in communications for the generals during the war.

_Okay, so Michelle isn't really part of the Special Forces Unit, but she's like one to me. She's like me, she always survives. That was something that I was afraid would come between me and Shelby. I didn't want her to turn away from me now that we were together again because she thought I had replaced her with another girl. Although Shelby knew about Michelle, I still felt the need to talk to her about it.

* * *

_

_OOOOOO…trouble in paradise? Eh…I doubt it. Oh, to _keke1 and Ghostwriter_, I do plan to put a special bit at the end of the fic that should clear up the confusing-as-hell stuff that just pops up and doesn't get explained. Like the worldgates and "the accident". See youse in '05!_


	4. Mending and Breaking Hearts

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai, peeps! Whew, I can't believe how fast I whipped this up. Be prepared to take in A LOT of backstory that, probably, only I will understand. I'll TRY to get everything to make sense by the end of the fic. By the way, Mandy, to answer your question, Crystal Class is used to classify the abilities of members of the Crystal Alliance (see my profile for more info). No, Shelby does not have a Crystal Class. As for the rest of your S&S questions, they're answered in this chapter. I don't own Lafayette. Everything else (except for the stuff I already said I don't own) is MINE. Enjoy.

* * *

_

"Wait a sec, Otacon. Lemme get this straight:" said Scott after hearing the news about his comrade, Auggie "He's _missing an eye_, and his _other eye_ is now _even more powerful than the two put together_?"

"For the third time, _yes_, Scott," said Otacon, exasperated. Just then, Auggie himself came out from the next room, sporting an eye patch over his left eye socket.

"Hey, mon," he said, casually, as though nothing were wrong.

"_Auggie_!" cried Julitette, running up to hug him. Auggie put an arm around her and turned back to Scott.

"So," he said "You heard the freaky news, man?"

"Yeah," said Scott "Now, if only you could shoot lasers from it now…" They chuckled.

"Yeah, man," said Auggie "Never thought I'd be sayin' this, but I really gotta thank your step-mom for this." He gestured to his eye patch.

"Ha ha, don't say that Auggie," said Scott, smiling. Then he put a hand on Auggie's shoulder and his face became more serious. "_Please_…don't say that."

Later that evening, the gang was settling down for bed back at the base while Scott, however, stayed outside and looked up at the night sky. He heard a rustling behind him and spun around. It was Shelby.

"So," she said "First big victory today."

"Yeah," said Scott. There was a pause, then: "Alright, I knew this was going to come up. You want to know about Michelle, don't you?"

"I know that she's an artist and I know that she's working with Rosemary in communications," said Shelby, seriously "What I _don't _know, is where _you _stand with her!" Scott sighed.

"Alright, here's the deal," said Scott, calmly "When I lost you and came back to this world, I was…the only one left from our world. Michelle was the only girl I had ever been infatuated with here, so I went to her and we…you know…"

"…became a couple?" said Shelby, he voice getting colder.

"We're not _married_!" said Scott "Yes, I got into a relationship with her. Yes, we've been boyfriend and girlfriend for years. _Yes, I love her_…but I drew the line at marriage because of _you_. Sure, she's got the celebrity factor and the looks and she really cares but she's _still not you_. Ask her yourself, she'll tell you about all the times I've put you over her!" Shelby was beginning to look less and less skeptical "Look, when I came back here, I vowed never to marry another woman. Now that you're back, I _want you back_. Michelle will still be my friend, but…I've already lost you once. I don't want to lose you forever." Shelby's eyes began to tear up considerably. She flung herself into Scott.

"Scott, you won't lose me," she sobbed "I won't leave you! _I love you_!" Feeling as though an empty void in his heart had just been filled, Scott leaned down and kissed her tenderly. They held the moment for a long time.

_At that moment, I knew truly had her back. In a moral sense, anyway. But, boy, I wasn't expecting the change of subject._

When the two recovered from their emotional moment, duty called again.

"So," said Shelby "Elaine, what has she done to you since her big demonic resurrection?" Scott's face darkened.

_Okay, so maybe the Realm Master _can_ get this stuff in now. Most of it anyway._

"When Elaine came back, about 23 years ago" said Scott, beginning to weave his tale "Lafayette had just succumbed to Pastel, you know, that demon living inside him. Anyway, Pastel actually established a _relationship_ with Elaine and it literally drained me of my sanity. Then Raiden, who used to be very closed about his past, finally accepted his past and it not only 'opened the doors' for him, but it also made him immune to Elaine's powers! So I knew I had to do the same to cure myself."

"So, what did you do?" said Shelby.

"…I…let her take me again…" said Scott. Shelby nearly popped a vein.

"_YOU **WHAT**?_" she screamed "_SCOTT, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!?!_"

"I was thinking," said Scott "'If that albino pansy can do it, so can I.' _And it worked_. I became immune to her powers as well."

"Scott," said Shelby "Sleeping with that bitch was what landed you at Horizon in the first place!" Scott bowed his head in shame.

"Yeah," he said "There was one thing that didn't get cured. When Elaine came back and I lost my mind, I…well…that's when I started using guns and knives in addition to my usually axe and sword. I wasn't doing drugs anymore…but I was _killing people_." Shelby looked at him in astonishment.

"No…"

"Yes…" said Scott mournfully "But I had the others with me through the whole thing and…well…they're pretty much the glue that holds me together now." Shelby just sat there, trying to take all of this in.

"So…" she said "That's…another reason you stayed with Michelle all this time."

"Yeah," said Scott "Look, it's late, you should probably hit the hay."

"Yeah, probably," said Shelby, getting up. She was about to go back inside when she stopped and turned back to Scott. "Oh, by the way, 'congratulations' on your little sister." Scott froze.

"I don't _have_ a little sister," he said, bitterly.

_Regardless of what this sounds like, I actually knew exactly who Shelby was talking about._

"Then," said Shelby "Who's Aelita? Snake and Raiden said she was Elaine's daughter."

"She's not even _related_ to Elaine!" said Scott, fiercely.

"Then who _is _she?" said Shelby.

Elsewhere in the base, Michelle sat staring at her monitors. She was still reeling from what Scott had said about getting back together with Shelby. She didn't mind Shelby so much, but Scott was the only boy she had ever really had feelings for, or had ever really had feelings for her. She had something with Scott and she didn't want that to go away.

"Rosemary?" she said faintly to the woman and comrade she had come to think of as a mother "Hold me." Rosemary took Michelle in her arms and sat there cradling her a long while. Rosemary was used to doing this by now, as she and Raiden had two children of their own, but it was still nice to know that someone not family could see her as a loving parent they had lost long ago.

_Everything had just begun for us. Over the next two years, we would grow a reputation against our enemy…as a group to be feared. And they feared us. But building up this reputation would, in the end, be our downfall, and Aelita would benefit the most from it.

* * *

_

_Who IS Aelita? Sorry, Code: Lyoko fanboys and girls, this is a different girl, entirely my character. She'll be in later. Hope you MGS fanboys and girls enjoyed the Otacon cameo. I don't own him either. Hope to update soon! _


	5. Elaine and Aelita's Next Assault

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Sorry for the long update wait. I WAS going to go to my friend's house and FINALLY play Metal Gear Solid, but she's sick, so I thought "Hey! It's a dark, gloomy day. I can get some writing done!" So, here's da next chappie. Oh, a little note to _AstarothTheFallen_: that character of mine that I'm letting you use, Sara Matsuki, is mentioned in this chapter. Meryl also makes a very brief cameo. You guys already know what I don't own, including Meryl. Everything else is MINE. NO STEALING. Enjoy.

* * *

_

Near the top of a spiraling black tower at the center of Capitopolis, two figures gazed upon the destruction, the carnage, the remains of a recent battle.

_2029, two years after I was assigned the Special Forces Unit: Cliffhangers. Yesterday was one of the most devastating defeats the Alliance, the army, the whole of E-Max had ever seen. We hadn't lost the war, but we had lost the lives of 1,000 E-Maxen troops. It may not seem like much…to a human, but for the E-Maxens, it was a disaster. Why? Because there are only two ways to kill an E-Maxen. Period. Drain all its blood, or remove its heart and or brain._

"The war goes well for us, Aelita," said the taller figure, a woman who would make perverts drool and children run in fear. It was Elaine Barringer.

"Does it, mother?" said the smaller figure, a pale-skinned young girl with waist-length grey hair who wore a simple black dress and held a rag doll in her right hand. Her eyes looked soulless. It was Aelita.

"What do you mean?" said Elaine.

"Mother," said Aelita "I have always questioned your reason for fighting with the ADC." Elaine looked coldly at her.

"I've explained this to you before," said Elaine "I'm only in this for the sex. The whole 'universal domination' thing is just an interesting added bonus."

"You also have revenge," said Aelita "For father, remember?" Elaine's face darkened.

"To this day," she said "I doubt even the Queen knows how Pastel and Lafayette were rejoined." Aelita bowed her head. The demon girl, like all demons, had no real parents. She and her brother had been created from the same dark energy, but her brother had been destroyed by The Crystal Alliance 27 years ago. When Elaine and Pastel had joined the Alliance of Dark Chaos, she had felt a kinship between herself and the demons. Perhaps it was the fact that they had once had physical relations with humans and, in a way, it made them more human. Aelita herself had been outcast once for being "too human". She was not Elaine and Pastel's daughter, but she had always thought of herself as that. Aelita clutched the doll to her chest. It was shocking at how innocent the mere presence of that doll made her look.

"I miss father," she said. Elaine knelt down and put a comforting arm around her foster daughter.

"We _will_ find a way to bring him home," she said "But first, I have my own personal matters to deal with."

"You mean Scott?" said Aelita. Elaine grimaced.

"Not him, his unit," she said "With his old school chums by his side, Scotty is more powerful than ever. He's been chasing us all over E-Max for two years. Have you heard what they've been chanting?"

"'One day, Elaine will pay'," Aelita recited.

"Yes," said Elaine "However, at this rate, bringing Scott down along with his unit sounds so very appealing. I've had my fun with him." She started back inside.

"Come, Aelita," she said "We're launching another assault. This time, we're aiming directly towards the Cliffhangers Unit and I don't care if they don't stay in one place!"

_Not much later that day, I was with the Unit, Snake, Raiden and some of their commanding officers, including Snake's wife and second-in-command, Meryl. We were discussing the impact of the war on some of the children._

"I think the war has actually done some good for Farrell," said Snake, referring to the 11-year-old E-Maxen godson of his and Meryl's who had become like a son to them "That night of the first attack…he and his parents wouldn't leave each other's sight for a week! I didn't think they _ever_ would again! And to think, of all the times Farrell's complained about his parents not being around enough to spend time with him…"

"Connor wouldn't leave my side that night of my big motorcycle accident," said Scott, referring to his 12-year-old protégé "What a great kid."

_That was the ADC's last attempt to off me. I had been driving my motorcycle through the outskirts of Capitopolis when one of their armored trucks zoomed out of nowhere and hit me hard. I woke up a week later at M.A.R.S. Program. The accident had ripped all four of my limbs off, but the guys there fixed me up in a jiff._

"Rikei and Charline worry a lot about me too," said Raiden, actually referring to _his_ kids this time "But they've heard about everything I've been through before. So now every time I call, they always sound happy and confident."

"Sara and Isaac aren't Sara and Isaac anymore." Everyone turned to the corner.

_Colonel Sally Matsuki. Under the command of General Raiden Kiyamoto. Her division had seen some of the bloodiest battles in the war._

"I've heard calls from home saying that they've been barricading themselves in the computer room for days on end," she said.

"I thought your kids were computer geeks, Sally," said Shelby.

"Yes but they've never used computers to excess like this before," said Sally "I have a feeling that they're using them as an outlet for their worries because of the war."

"It's better that what I've used as outlets for my problems in the past," said Scott, the Cliffhangers nodding in agreement. Sally sighed.

"First thing after the war's over, I'm going back to my examining table at the E-Maxen Royal Hospital," she said.

"Sirs! _Sirs!_" An E-Maxen soldier had come rushing into the room.

"What is it, Captain Caprice?" said Meryl.

"Elaine…and…her army…about 50,000 strong…coming…to…attack…" he panted, breathing hard.

"We have to face her," said Shelby. Scott nodded and turned to his unit.

"Alright, everyone," said Scott "All together!"

_We chanted our slogan _"One day, Elaine will pay!" _for, what would be, the last time before we were called to arms.

* * *

_

_Oooo…is this the end of the Special Forces Unit: Cliffhangers? Hell ya. But just how do Elaine and Scott come out on top AND bottom? Find out next time!_


	6. Outnumbered

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! I'd like to apologize for two things. 1. The long wait for an update. I was busy with school and METAL GEAR SOLID 2! (Jumpsaroundwithglee) 2. The crappiness of the update. I was so desperate to get an update up that…well…I try to disappoint as little as I can. I know the story is going a bit slow right now, but, please don't hurt me for that. I can promise you that I WILL finish this story! As long as I have my loyal readers (_AstarothTheFallen, keke1, _and_ Ghostwriter,_ I am talking to youse), I WILL continue this fic! Oh, and in case you need a better idea of what Aelita looks like, picture Zephie from _.hack: Legend of the Twilight _if she was evil. That better? Okayzorz! You already know what I do and don't own. Enjoy!

* * *

_

_**A/N: This is a revised chapter

* * *

**_

_Our Unit came up over the crest of a hill that overlooked Capitopolis from the South-East. A swarming mass of black was headed towards us in the distance: Elaine's army, a giant horde of demons. This wasn't going to be easy, but we had to try._

Scott turned to the Cliffhangers.

"They're coming at us from the front directly," he said, stating the obvious "We'll need to spread out and try to out-flank them secretly from as many points on the front as we can."

"Scott, are you forgetting something?" said Juliette "There's 50,000 of them and only 8 of us."

"Come on!" said Daisy "We've been doing this for 2 years and you _still_ haven't got it drilled into your head that the Rules of Engagement are a little _different_ here?"

"So," said Ezra "You don't agree with her?"

"Oh no, I definitely agree with her," said Daisy "We're gonna get our ass' kicked out there."

"Guys, look," said Scott, seriously "If we start sniping some guys off the front, we'll be deteriorating their forces without them knowing it and they'll think they're home free, but we'll be giving Snake and Raiden's armies a chance to tackle them by surprise from the _rear_ flanks." He stopped and looked hard at his chums. Then, his face softened. "I know we can do this, guys," he said "Snake says a victory of this magnitude would wipe out Elaine's army _entirely_ and that brings us that mush closer to winning the war…and living out the rest of our lives to some degree of normality." He smiled. It was tough living life at _any _degree of normality in _this_ world. Shelby stepped forward and turned to face the group.

"C'mon, guys," she said, grinning widely "Are we Cliffhangers, or are we wimps?"

_Shelby may not always look like much, but when she wants something, she gets it.

* * *

_

The group spread out, everyone taking their positions. The first flank passed the Cliffhanger's designated checkpoint. Auggie raised his DE class sniper rifle and aimed.

_PSHHHFFFF_

SNAP

The target disintegrated so fast that no one else took notice. Everyone repeated this pattern for about 3 minutes before Scott suddenly put his rifle down.

_Something was wrong. Something was very wrong._

"Need some pentazemin, Scott?" Shelby whispered.

"No," said Scott "Something's wrong. This is too easy."

"Scott, we're a special forces unit," said Shelby "We're _supposed_ to…"

"No, it's more than that," said Scott "Elaine's planning something." He leapt down from the tree into the dense foliage not far below.

"_What_?" Shelby followed him. "What makes _you_ so sure?"

"I've…" Scott struggled to find the right words "I've just got this _feelin_g."

"Scott," said Shelby, firmly "You can't base a _military action_ on _feelings_…"

"Then why are _you_ following me?" said Scott. Shelby just stood there. She couldn't respond "You're my commanding officer" because she never admitted when someone had power over her. The awkward silence was broken by Scott's wrist communicator buzzing. He turned it on. It was Juliette.

"Waybourne to Barringer," she said "Scott, can you hear me?"

"Crystal clear, Jules," said Scott "What's your situation?"

"Doing fine," said Juliette "We've taken down 50 over here." She paused. "You were right, Scott, we _can_ do this."

"That's what I'm worried about," said Scott "Listen, Jules, I'm getting a bad feeling that Elaine is…" The communicator started to crackle. It never did that.

"Copy that?" said Juliette "Scott?...we're…_AAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE_!" The line went dead. Scott and Shelby stood in shock. The communicator buzzed again. This time, it was Auggie.

"Scott-man!" he yelled "I think we're bein' ambushed! Looks like your step-mom knows we're here!" There were sounds of a struggle in the background.

"Auggie, what's going on?" said Scott, panic rising in his voice "What happened to Juliette?"

"She's down," said Auggie "But I don't think she's…" The line went dead again.

_What the hell was going on here? _

In the distance, battle cries rang out like a foghorn. Scott and Shelby could see Snake and Raiden's armies plowing into both sides of the rear flank. Scott punched a few buttons on his communicator.

"Calling all Cliffhangers!" he yelled "Cliffhangers, what are your situations?"

_The transmissions were all garbled but what words we could make out indicated one thing: Elaine had starting striking a death-blow to the Cliffhangers Unit. We'd always operated on the sidelines, but this time, we were right in the thick of things. And there seemed no escape. If we didn't do something, we'd all be done in by sheer numbers before we knew it.

* * *

_

_In case you're wondering what pentazemin is, it's something you use in MGS 2 to steady the sniper rifle when aiming. Yeah, I know this is a crappy update, but like I said, I WILL FINISH THIS FIC! (Runsoftriumphantlyintothesunset)_

_Scott:...This kid is a lost cause… _


	7. Murder By Numbers

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Wow, 2 chapters in one update! Yay me! Actually, this was going to be one chapter, but I decided to divide it up for shorter chapters which equals easier reading (trust me). Some warnings beforehand: there will be A LOT of blood and gore in this chapter. There will also be the long-awaited explanation for the worldgates and "The Accident". You already know who and what I do and don't own. Enjoy!

* * *

_

Auggie batted away demons with the butt of his sniper rifle, shooting when he got the chance. He stayed crouched low over Juliette, protecting her. She was still unconscious.

_Dammit, Jules,_ thought Auggie _Wake up! I need you!_ Almost as though on cue, Juliette suddenly sprang up, seized two daggers from her belt and began slashing left and right. Even against great numbers, Juliette wouldn't go without a fight. His confidence restored, Auggie flipped his rifle around and started shoot everything that was black and moved.

"_Auggie!_"

Suddenly, everything went black. Not unconscious black, but completely surrounded by a swarming horde of demons black. Auggie felt their cold hands seize him, and then, to his horror, he heard Juliette let out a mortal shriek. The demons threw him to the ground, and then, as quickly as their numbers had doubled, they scuttled away into the trees. Auggie forced himself upright and looked around. He froze. Juliette was lying motionless a few feet away from him. She was bleeding profusely from many places. Her daggers, now covered in blood, lay beside her. Auggie rushed forward and scooped her up.

"Jules! _Jules!_" he breathed. With what seemed to be a great effort, Juliette opened her eyes.

"…_Auggie…?_" she murmured.

"Jules…" said Auggie, his usually sturdy voice shaking "…You're…you're gonna be okay. We'll…we'll get you to the medics, they'll…"

"It's too late for me, Auggie," said Juliette, smiling for some reason "I always knew I was a cutter, but…I never thought I'd die like this…"

"Jules," said Auggie "You're _not_ gonna die!"

"Face facts, Auggie," said Juliette, faintly "Just…do me one more favor…"

"Anything," said Auggie.

"Explain…the worldgates to me…one last time…" said Juliette. Auggie sighed.

"Worldgates," he said, his voice sounding official "The portals that lead from the main world, formally called "The Crystal Journeys", to other dimensions. These dimensions include most media that would be seen as just T.V. shows or video games to the people of The Crystal Journeys. We first met Hannah when she was accidentally thrown through the worldgate that leads to our home world, Higher Ground. Scott was chosen for the Alliance, and when the Realm Master had seen all episodes of Higher Ground, she sent him back there to finish his life. When he and Shelby died in a car accident, Scott was sent back in time to when he had left The Crystal Journeys, and he was the same age and everything…it was like he'd never left. The worldgate to Higher Ground closed and wasn't supposed to be able to open again…and then those stealth guys, Snake and Raiden, came for us, and the gate opened again. They came from another world too, remember? That video game Scott liked…Metal Gear Solid."

"I hope…the worldgate opens up for me…" said Juliette, her voice fading "…so I can go…back…home…" And then, she was gone. Auggie looked up to the darkening sky to see a swirling vortex of purple, a worldgate. Juliette was going home. Auggie wept silently over the loss of the one girl in his life he had ever considered special.

_PSHHHFFFF_

Auggie's eyes widened in shock as the high caliber sniper bullet tore through his skull, seemingly in slow motion. He managed to gasp out one last word "…Juliette…" before he collapsed on her body, dead. A lone figure stood among the high branches in the trees, holding Auggie's sniper rifle. She turned on her communicator.

"Mother," she said "Augusto and Juliette have been successfully eliminated."

"Excellent work, Aelita," said the voice on the other end "I'm proud of you."

* * *

"Dais? I don't think we're gonna get off this battlefield without killing ourselves!" yelled Ezra.

"Oh, shut up and just kick every ass you see!" Daisy yelled back, knocking back half a platoon with a fierce sweep of her hand. Then, she stumbled. Flashes of a premonition came to her. Death. That was all she could make of it. Maybe Ezra was right. As much as she wanted to, Daisy didn't have time to get all existential. Ezra yanked the pull out of a DE grenade and threw it far into the enemy flanks. It went off with a BANG and sent troops flying, then they disintegrated.

"Stop. Leave them to me." The horde froze, then backed away. Daisy and Ezra turned to the speaker. It was Aelita. She had her hand raised in front of her.

"What do _you_ want?" said Daisy.

"What I always want," said Aelita, smiling "To have a little fun."

"What are you…" Daisy was cut off by the _click_ of a gun being loaded. She turned to find herself staring down the barrel of Ezra's chemical missile launcher. Ezra's face looked different. Even though the missile launcher was the only indication, Daisy could tell that Aelita was controlling Ezra. Usually in an anime-visual-based world, a character who was being mind-controlled would lose the light in their eyes or most of the color in their skin. Aelita had the unique ability to control people without that happening. Daisy knew there was only one thing to do: fight fire with fire.

She closed her eyes and focused hard on Erza's mind. Aelita sensed this and tried to fight it. All three of them had their brows furrowed hard in concentration. Ezra was in great pain from having two people trying to get a hold on his mind, but no one seemed to notice. Both girls let out one last scream of frustration before there was a sickening _splat_. The horde immediately disappeared. Ezra's body lay in a puddle of blood and splattered guts. The psychic conflict had caused his head to explode. It was a sickening sight. Daisy looked at it as though she was looking at the most normal scene in the world. Then, she turned to Aelita and pulled two .50 caliber pistols out of their holsters. She pointed one at her head and one at her heart.

"You're good with mind reading," she said, calmly "So tell me…did I really love Ezra?" Aelita's expression remained its usual blank.

"Yes," she said. Daisy nodded, closed her eyes, and pulled the triggers.

* * *

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM

David's machine gun was pumping out glowing purple bullets faster than a locomotive. Kat's crossbow was pumping out glowing purple arrows faster than another locomotive. They had been cornered on top of a small hill. They were obviously outnumbered. Their situation was a Worst Case Scenario.

"How much longer do you think we can hold out, Kat?" yelled David over the blare of his gun.

"I don't know!" Kat yelled back "Maybe 3 minutes?" Suddenly, the sound of David's final, blood-curdling scream tore through the air, his machine gun went silent, and the demonic troops scattered. Kat heard something go _thump _behind her. She turned around. David's body lay, riddled with bullet holes, in a bloody heap on the ground. His gun lay not at his side, but in the arms of a certain white-haired demon girl.

"Make that 3 seconds," said Kat. Aelita threw the gun aside and bared her fists.

"This will be decided not by our skills with weapons," said Aelita "But by our skills without them." Kat removed all her weapons and faced Aelita. The two lunged. Fighting using just standard martial arts moves, they were well matched opponents. They hadn't been fighting long when Kat managed to get Aelita in a leg-lock.

"_Owowowowowowow! Stopstopstop! YouwinIsurrender!_" she yelled. Kat, sweating profusely, slowly let her go. Then, she suddenly felt Aelita seize her in a powerfully headlock, and, before she could counter, everything went black.

_CRRRRRUNCH! SNAP!_

Aelita had fatally snapped Kat's neck. She dropped the body and walked away as the blood flowed from Kat's broken neck.

"You disappointed me, Katherine," said Aelita "I had expected more of a fight from a martial artist of your stature."

* * *

_Yeah, I know. That was the part where I just kill everyone off. Sorry! DON'T FLAME ME TO PIECES! AIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (Runsawayscreaming)_

_Scott: Was that really necessary?_

_Hannah: Hey! The Realm Master needed to set a tragic tone! AT LEAST SHE USES SOME COMIC RELIEF, RIGHT?_

_Scott:…When you said you enjoyed torturing me, I didn't think you were serious._

_Hannah: That's because I have my OWN ways of torturing YOU. (Evil grin)_

_Scott: _O.O_ Ohhhhhhhhhhh crap…_


	8. Fight to the Death

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Well, this is it. Sort of. A climactic battle that won't really be that climactic because I'm too lazy to write out a full battle scene (I'm also not very good at it). While reading through the actual fight scene and the part where Scott summons the aura at the end, it'll add a more dramatic effect to get Duel of the Fates (that choral battle music from_ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace_) stuck in your head. You already know who and what I do and don't own. Enjoy!

* * *

_

"Shelby! Give me your hand!"

"Scott? Wouldn't it've been easier to've just taken the stairs?" Scott and Shelby were scaling the large black tower at the center of Capitopolis. Rosemary's voice came on over the communicators.

"Not really, Shelby," she said "The security inside is way too tight. Even Snake would have a hard time getting through there without Stealth Camo."

"As a matter of fact," said Michelle "It's a wonder you've made it _this_ far!"

_Now THAT was saying something. I know that Snake is a top-of-the-line espionage expert, but for someone to doubt him like that…well…there IS the fact that I don't think Snake's ever tried to sneak past a horde of demons before…_

"We're almost at the top!" said Scott. He saw Shelby smile for the first time all day.

_I had just had about enough of enough by now. If Elaine wanted to face me head-on, then, goddammit, that bitch was in for a serious ass-whooping. This conflict had gone too far, too long.

* * *

_

At the communications base, Rosemary and Michelle were running standard operation check-up procedures. Raiden's image suddenly came over the comm screens.

"Raiden!" said Rosemary, smiling at seeing her husband alive "How are things holding up?"

"Not that good," said Raiden "We're being overwhelmed out here. We'll retreat if we need to, but I promise you, I _will_ get out if this alive." Raiden suddenly turned to the comm unit on his wrist. Snake's muffled voice was yelling something urgent to him. Rose and Michelle couldn't make it out but, judging by the panicked expression on Raiden's face, it was pretty serious. He turned back to the anxiously waiting women.

"I'm afraid there's been a very serious development," he said "The bodies of _six_ out of the eight Cliffhangers were just recovered." His face darkened. "They're…all dead."

"_All of them?_" cried Rosemary.

"Scott! No!" Michelle cried into the palms of her hands.

"Scott and Shelby are the only ones unaccounted for," said Raiden.

"If we just spoke to them a minute ago…" said Michelle "Then they _must_ be the remaining two!"

"The last of the Cliffhangers Unit…" said Raiden "Patch me through to Scott and Shelby." Rosemary hit a few buttons. Nothing happened. Michelle tried the same thing. Still no response.

"Something's wrong," said Rosemary "Something is _very_ wrong…"

* * *

Scott and Shelby stood at the top of the tower. Standing at the other end stood Elaine. All three of them looked malevolent.

"Scotty, Shelby," said Elaine, her voice dripping poison "How nice of you to drop by."

"Shut up, bitch," Shelby snapped. She glanced at Scott "You have no right to talk to him. Not after what you did…" The sound of metal being removed from a sheath cut her off. Elaine had drawn a ridiculously long knife from her robe-like black overcoat.

"We duel," she said, speaking Scott and Shelby's thoughts "We end this." Shelby drew two daggers from their slots on her hips. Scott raised his hand and the bracelet on his right wrist began to glow. Two beams of yellow light shot from it to each of his hands and molded themselves into a pair of knives.

_I had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The first time, it had been Hannah who had claimed revenge…and Elaine's life, but things are different now. Elaine's not human this time._

They lunged.

_Our battle was fierce. We were pouring every emotion we felt into our moves, our stabs, our slashes. We cut each other quite a few times, but there was no serious damage being done. Yet._

Another few minutes into the fight, Scott and Shelby got Elaine pinned to the ground. An almost evil grin spread across Scott's face.

"Now," he said, quietly "You die. You pay for everything." A truly evil grin spread across Elaine's face.

"Not yet," she said, drawing out each word slowly.

_What happened next happened in a flash_.

Elaine shot to her feet, throwing Scott far off to the side and the knives out of his hands, next to Elaine. She smacked Shelby hard across the face, temporarily disabling her and allowing Elaine to lock her arms around her abdomen, one of Scott's knives in each hand.

_And this part happened in slow motion_.

Throwing Scott one last malevolent grin at the look of horror and helplessness on his face, Elaine plunged the knives deep into Shelby's stomach.

"**_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**"

Elaine stepped back and let Shelby fall to the ground, bleeding heavily. Throwing every emotion he had into his walk, Scott dashed forward at an inhuman speed, thwacked Elaine across the head, knocking her unconscious, and clutched Shelby tightly in his arms, praying for the Spirits not to take her away from him again. Her blood began to soak through his uniform. She somehow managed to open her eyes again.

"…Scott…"

"_Shelby?_" Scott took Shelby's hand in his.

"You know…I always loved you…" breathed Shelby, quietly. Scott quickly leaned down to kiss her, one last time.

"Scott?" whispered Shelby when they parted "Do me…one last…favor…"

"Yes?" said Scott, nearly choking.

"Kick…Elaine's…ass…for me…" Scott's brow furrowed in heroic determination.

"I will," he said in his strongest voice, then, it wavered again "Shel…I…I love you…" Shelby smiled, closed her eyes, and, in that spiritual, ghostly way, left Scott sitting there, sobbing uncontrollably.

_I was numb for awhile. Completely numb. Then, my mind returned to the mission at hand. There were few thoughts in my head, save these: Elaine was the enemy. She had taken everything from me, Shelby, my mom, my dad's love, the whole F'ing NORMAL life I could've lived!_

Elaine rose to her feet silently. Scott slowly turned to face her. The usual boyish expression on his face had turn demonic in every way. His pupils were dilated to pinpoints with rage, there was a blazing fire in his eyes, and he had murder written all over his face. When he had regressed to killing people in the alleyways of Capitopolis over 20 years ago, he had worn this face often, but this time, he had a good reason.

"_You took everything away from me…_" breathed Scott, his voice labored with the urge to kill "_Now…you WILL die. YOU WILL PAY!_" A bright yellow-red aura suddenly shot up around Scott. His bracelet glowed again but this time, a long, wood-hilted sword shot to his hand. For the first time in a long while, Elaine actually looked scared. She drew her own blade.

"Let's not get carried away, Scotty," she said, unable to hide the nervousness in he voice. Scott reached out his hand and, using the aura around him, seized Elaine's sword and crushed in his glowing right hand. His eyes went yellow. Elaine could see that he was nearly overloading on power.

_I had to avenge my fellow Cliffhangers, and there was only one way to do that: I had to kill Elaine.

* * *

_

_Oooooooooooooooo. Semi-cool battle scene coming up next! Okay, I confess, it's not going to be a REAL battle, but it WILL have more of Scott using magic! That's cool, right? (Lookspatheticallyatcrowd) Well…I think it's cool… _


	9. The Great Fall: Aelita's Sorrow

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! 3 chapters up within 24 hours…what's wrong with me? Anyhoo, here it is: Scott and Elaine: The Final Confrontation…for now. This is a pretty short chapter though. I edited out the songfic part because the site seems to have something against them now (see the 4/27/2005 disclaimer on the homepage). It wasn't that important. Virtually no one reading this fic would know that song (_Kiss Me Sunlights_) because people pretty much only bought its game of origin (_Zone of the Enders_ for the PS2) because it had the demo for _Metal Gear Solid 2_ attached…and that was 4 years ago. Also, you'd NEED to know the song's melody to envision it fitting in this chapter. On another note, you already know who and what I do and don't own. Enjoy!

* * *

_

Scott stepped forward, slowly, but menacingly. Elaine stepped back too, looking terrified.

"Scott, what's _wrong _with you?" she said, then she smiled "You wouldn't kill me, I'm family!"

"_You're no family of mine_," said Scott, almost talking in two voices "_Do you remember my dad? Yes, of course you remember him. The day after Shelby and I got married, he committed suicide. Why? Because our wedding reminded him that marrying YOU was what tore him away from ME!_"

"It's not _my _fault that your dad chose to marry me…" Elaine was cut off, by Scott's hand around her neck. He drew his blade.

"_Die,_" he said in a near Satanic voice "_And never…come…back…_" The aura around him reached a peak as Scott thrust his sword, Switchblade, he called it, into Elaine's chest. Scott concentrated the aura around him into Switchblade and Elaine shrieked as she began to disintegrate. Suddenly, there was a flash of black and before Scott could tell what was happening, he was falling over the side of the tower. He hit the ground below with a hard _thud_.

_I lay there, in the dirt, covered in blood, and not just my blood. Whose blood? Shelby's blood, Elaine's blood, my blood. I didn't know Elaine could bleed. Maybe the Queen was serious when she said there was still some human left in Elaine. No, just physical human, not emotional. But…then…how does that explain Aelita?

* * *

_

Aelita knelt beside Elaine's disintegrating form, tears flowing silently down her pale cheeks.

"Mother…" she whimpered.

"Aelita," said Elaine, smiling like a proud mother, and expression she'd die before letting Scott see "I knew you'd come back to me. Listen, we share a unique bond. We transferred half of ourselves to each other when I became a demon. You…must take my place…when I am gone."

"Half of me dies with you today," said Aelita, speaking a common philosophy of death that was taking a very literal meaning at that moment "But half of you will live on within me." Elaine smiled again, nodded, and disappeared completely. Aelita sat there for a few more minutes before rising to her feet and walking over to the shattered pieces of Elaine's blade. She bent over and put her hands over them. A circle of light appeared around them and Aelita. As the pieces came together, Aelita began to change. She was growing up. Just seconds later, a grown demon woman stood holding a shining sword on top of the tower. Aelita still looked like herself, but she looked like Elaine too. She still had the pale hair, skin, dress, and soulless-looking eyes, but in stature, she had Elaine's body. She held up the sword and looked at the reflection in the polished magical metal.

She saw Elaine's face staring back at her, smiling.

* * *

_Well, that's how it all got that way. Yeah, I know I just fell from about 100 feet, but, like I said, I always survive. I can hear someone calling for me in the distance. Michelle? Is that her? I can't tell…everything's going black…

* * *

_

_Let's get a few things straight right now: No, Scott is NOT dying. That's the whole point he's trying to make: HE DOEN'T DIE. No, this is NOT the last chapter in the fic. It's a nice place to stop, but there's still some other stuff I want to put in._

_Scott: Sooooooo…where IS this fic going to end?_

_Hannah: (singsong voice) I can't tell yoooou. However, I AM thinking about just putting 2 or 3 more chapters in._


	10. The Cameo You've All Been Waiting For!

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Well, Sunday it was Raikov's Story, today, it's Cliffhangers Unit. Yeah, I managed to slip in some time for writing and updating on top of all my fear-of-going-to-High-School-next-year jitters. This chapter is kinda risky because it involves someone who I really shouldn't be writing about, but, hey, other people've done it. And besides, IT'S JUST A CAMEO. Woot! I'm up to Chapter 10! Yay, me! I don't own the chapter guest star, he owns himself. You know the rest. Enjoy!

* * *

_

"Scott? Scott, can you hear me?"

_Someone's holding my hand. I'm not lying on the ground anymore. Am I in the hospital? M.A.R.S. Program? Probably. Gotta open my eyes…_

"Unhhhhhhh…Michelle…?" said Scott.

_I can see her face. She's smiling. Why? A whole bunch of my friends just died._

"I'm so glad you're alright," said Michelle "I…heard about…"

"So _that's_ why you're happy," said Scott, gruffly "Now Shelby's out of the way and you can have me _all to yourself_." Michelle looked astonished.

"_What_?" she gasped "Scott, how can you _accuse _me of something like that?"

"Admit it," said Scott "You weren't happy to see Shelby come back 2 years ago because you knew that she'd come between _us_."

"Scott," said Michelle, firmly "I _know_ that there was an "us", but I _also_ know that there was a "you and Shelby", and I accepted that. It was hard, especially when she came back, but I accepted it. I knew that you were happy with her, I knew that you and I could still be friends, I knew that it hurt sometimes to see you with her, but, even though it was hard at first, I made it through just knowing that _we had had something_. And because we'd had something, I knew that you'd let me be there for you if anything happened to Shelby." Scott gaped at her. He hadn't heard her give one of her "I just want what's best for you, Scott" speeches in a long time. "Please understand, Scott: _I never, ever hated Shelby_."

_Wait…is she crying? Because Shelby's gone?_

"I believe you," said Scott. Michelle knelt down next to him and held his battle-torn frame close to her. They both cried silently onto each other's shoulders.

"Thanks," said Scott "For being there for me."

"Thanks," said Michelle "For letting me be there for you." They sat there, holding each other for a long while. When they finally broke apart, Scott summed up the courage to ask a very edgy question.

_I had to know._

"How did the battle turn out?" said Scott.

"We…" said Michelle "We won." Scott's face lit up with surprise.

_What?_

"_What?_" said Scott in astonishment "How?"

"We had some unexpected last-minute back-up," said Michelle, smiling "I think you'll know the man." There was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" said Michelle. The door opened and Raiden and Rosemary stepped in.

"Michelle, we need you back at communications," said Rosemary "Sorry to break up your reunion so quick."

"It's okay," said Michelle "We've said all we needed to say right now." She got up, waved good-bye to Scott, and followed Rosemary out the door. Raiden watched them go, then turned to Scott.

"Scott," he said "You have a very special visitor. He saved our asses out there today." He grinned. "I believe you two know each other from years of working together." He left and another man entered. Except for the absence of highlights on his bangs and a more mature look on his face, he looked exactly like Scott.

"Hey, Scott," he said "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I _think_ I'll be alright," said Scott "Elaine is gone…but…so is Shelby." The man gave him a sympathetic look.

"You still have Michelle," he said.

"Yeah," said Scott "But I still don't know if our relationship has a _future_. I mean, I know I've told you this a million times before, but I just can't get married to another woman! It would be disrespectful to Shelby's memory."

"And I know I've told you _this_ a million times before," said the man "But, if you don't try to put Shelby behind you and take your relationship with Michelle any further, you'll never be happy. I'm not saying you should _forget _Shelby, but you really need to move on."

"You always say that you don't _need _to be in a relationship to be happy," said Scott. The man smiled.

"I said _I _don't need to be in a relationship to be happy," he said "You're a different case. You need someone. And I'm sure that Shelby would want you to be happy." Scott nodded. Then, there was a pause.

_Well, maybe he's right this time. After all, when even Michelle wasn't there for me, he was._

"You're right," said Scott "Thanks, Hayden."

Hayden held out his hand and he and Scott gave each other the Crystal secret handshake.

_Bump. Slap. Clap. _"_Hooyah_!"

The door opened again.

"General Christensen?"

"Yes, Captain Caprice?"

"Queen Hannah requests an audience," said Captain Caprice "She wants to thank you for your brave act of heroism today." Hayden looked at Scott, then back to Captain Caprice.

"Will she be meeting with Scott too?" he asked.

"Of course," said Captain Caprice "After that tragedy…" he sniffled "…they're probably up with Jeff and mother right now…" He left, sobbing uncontrollably onto the shoulder of another man who put his arm around him and led him out.

"It's alright, Dennis," he said "I know what's it's like." The third man, also identical to Scott and Hayden (save a braided ponytail behind his right ear and a handheld, metallic cylinder on his hip), winked at the duo. Hayden stood up.

"I gotta go," he said "See you at the victory celebration tonight." He smiled at Scott and left the room.

* * *

_Yep. For those of you who've read my author's profile and still didn't know who that "celebrity main character" was, now you know. For those of you buried even deeper under the rock, that third identical man was Anakin Skywalker. Yar, the young Darth Vader. I don't own him either. At this point in The Crystal Journeys, he's lived his life as Darth Vader and returned to "the present" in 2005. Considering this story takes place in the year 2029, he's now head of the E-Maxen Royal Guard. Captain Dennis Caprice, whose mother was killed in the same battle that took Jeff's life, will join the Guard when the war ends. Whew, okay, maybe you didn't need to know ALL OF that, BUT THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE FIC!_


	11. Raiden's Speech

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! I know you've been waiting for awhile, so here's something to soothe your nerves. This is a REALLY short chapter and it has a kinda corny ending, but I hope you like it anyway. Enjoy!

* * *

_

_I didn't think I could show my face at that ceremony. I really didn't. But I had to. I actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. C'mon, who am I kidding? This is The Crystal Alliance we're talking about! Everyone here is like family. Everyone I talked to who knew what had happened was more than sympathetic to my situation. Well, most of them have lost loved ones too._

Raiden came up to the podium at the far end of the hall. The crowd went silent.

_Well, time for Kiyamoto-san's big victory speech._

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Hayden "Head of the E-Maxen Secret Service: Raiden Kiyamoto." Raiden cleared his throat.

"My friends," he began, solemnly "Today was a day of great victory. Nearly 50,000 of the enemy's troops were wiped out thanks to the heroics of myself, General Sears, or Snake, whichever you prefer, and a surprise visit from our friend, General Christensen." The crowd erupted in cheers. Raiden held up his hand for silence. "However, today was also a day of great defeat. We all know of the great feats performed on the sidelines by General Barringer and his Special Forces Unit: Cliffhangers. Today, all of them, save General Barringer, were ruthlessly slaughtered by the enemy. Presumably Aelita." Most people gasped and whispered amongst themselves at this.

"All of them? Gone?"

"Oh, poor Scott."

"That little girl-bitch."

"While Scott succeeded in destroying General Elaine, he paid a heavy price, a price he wasn't willing to pay, but also a price he didn't know he would be paying," Raiden went on "I know that each and every one of us here has suffered likewise. Scott is no different. But remember, _we have each other_. We are not like the faceless armies that Snake and I once worked for. How are we to continue fighting if we believe that we are alone in our struggle? The Crystal Alliance is held together on this one simple principle. Remember it, and…" he paused, looking mournfully at Scott "…remember, forever, the Special Forces Unit: Cliffhangers." Everyone who had a wine glass, empty or full, raised it and chanted in unison:

"Remember the Cliffhangers."

_It was an honoring feeling, and Raiden is absolutely right. We have to stand together as friends, we have to fight as one, and we must always remember our few fallen. All this said, I still have one person left to take care of: Aelita.

* * *

_

"_WHAT?_" yelled Scott a few minutes later "Why not?"

"I've already said," said Queen Hannah in her most official voice "The Realm Master wants to _wait_ before you defeat Aelita. Look, I know vengeance is high on your priority list, but she says that you won't destroy Aelita until Connor is at least 20."

_Terrific. Juuuuuuuuust terrific. I'm gonna have to wait about 7 or 8 years before I can avenge my best friends.

* * *

_

**(About 7 Years Later...)

* * *

**

_Just to refresh your memory, Connor is Scott's 12-year-old protégé. He plays a bigger role in the next chapter. IT WILL BE THE LAST! _


	12. The Final Duel

_Disclaimers 'n' crap: Haihai peeps! Damn, what a journey it's been. I put the intro for this fic up for the sole purpose of getting the 1,000th fic spot, and now, several months later, it becomes the first COMPLETE Crystal Journeys story that I'm actually proud of. Well, I have to say, even though I'm the one who typed everything, it was you, the fans, that made it possible. Without your encouragement, I never would've continued this fic in the first place. Thank you. : ) That said, I'd just like to point out a few things. First of all, I almost NEVER do Crystal Journeys stories that take place after the year 2030 (it's kind of a "boundary year" for me), so, even compared to The Crystal Journeys itself, this chapter takes place in the future. Second, the fist-fight was written at the request of _keke1_, whom I am a fan of and never thought would become a fan of me. Third, _Ghostwriter_, I apologize in advance for this chapter. Well, here it goes! The last chapter of my first epic! Enjoy!

* * *

_

"Scott, please, let me do this! I know I'm ready!"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Connor!"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Scott!" Connor shot back "I'm 20! By E-Maxen standards, that means I'm _an adult_!" Scott sighed.

_Well, he's right. I _did _bring Connor for the sole purpose of having him fight with me. On the other hand, I didn't think he'd want to fight _alone.

"Look," said Scott "If you go up against her alone, something's _bound_ to happen. C'mon, _together_ we can do this. And, Connor…" Scott looked Connor directly in the eyes "…you _will _be able to fight these battles solo one day." Connor smiled, but a bit reluctantly.

"Thanks," he said "I know I will. Mom and dad were always happy that I had someone like you to look up to and teach me stuff I didn't learn at the Academy."

_The Guardian's Academy. It was a special school set up by the Crystal Alliance to teach our children our ways. We taught them the usual academics too, but that's also where they learned to fight like us. I know it _sounds_ like we were raising our kids from the ground up into an army, but, like Raiden always said, we're not killing people, we're destroying demons, and people and demons are two VERY DIFFERENT things._

"C'mon," said Scott "Let's go."

"No need," said a voice from nowhere "I'm right here." A streak of black shot down from the ceiling and enveloped the two men. "Let's take this battle to higher ground, shall we, gentlemen?" Scott, Connor, and the darkness suddenly disappeared. When they reappeared, they were on the roof of the structure, an abandoned old building in a lesser-traveled region of E-Max. The darkness took form and stood before them. A demon woman with waist-length gray hair and soulless eyes. Aelita.

"Scott, Connor," she said in her usual mysterious, monotone voice "How nice of you to join us."

"Cut the crap!" yelled Connor, taking a cue from Scott "We know you've been hiding what's left of Elaine within you for almost 7 years!"

"Don't blame me," said Aelita, casually "Mother wants to live."

_Something about that statement set me off._

"_NYYYAAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHH! DAMN YOU, AELITA!_" Scott lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. She tried hurtling a wall of energy at him, but it missed and knocked Connor, hard, off his feet. He slammed into a protruding beam and fell to the ground, unconscious. "Connor! You bitch…"

"Who were you talking to, Scotty?" Scott froze.

_She's talking in two voices. Elaine's in there, I know it!_

Aelita drew her sword and threw Scott off her. She leaped forward; Scott raised his wrist with the bracelet on it. They collided. The bracelet flew off to one side, as did Aelita's blade. They stood and faced each other, both looking malevolent.

"There is only one way to decide this now," said Aelita in two voices. She raised her fists in a fighting stance. Scott followed suit. Aelita spoke again, this time, in Elaine's voice only.

"Show me what you've got, football boy."

They lunged again.

Scott didn't see himself as fighting Elaine and Aelita in the same body. He was just fighting Elaine. He punched her squarely across the jaw, throwing her off balance. She slashed him across the face with her claw-like nails as she stumbled and kicked him in the groin with her free leg. Recovering surprisingly fast, Scott leaned down and punched her hard in the gut. She grunted and bashed him in the face, making his nose bleed profusely. While he staggered, she got to her feet and struck a glancing blow across his back, throwing him to the ground. They fought like this for a long while. Finally, Aelita lashed out with her sharp nails, digging deep into Scott's tender neck flesh and causing him to let out a piercing scream.

Connor opened his eyes. His friend, his mentor, was in trouble and needed him. He looked a few feet away from him and saw a small glint of metal. Scott's bracelet! With every ounce of strength he had, he got to his feet, ran over to the bracelet, picked it up, and threw it.

"_Scott! Here!_" he yelled, before collapsing from exhaustion.

_The bracelet almost looks like it's moving in slow-motion. Uh oh, Aelita's reaching for her sword…_

Scott caught the bracelet in mid-air, slid it around his wrist, and summoned Switchblade. Aelita, who had just recovered her sword, spun around to face him. The two stood there for a minute. It was almost as though the emotions of the conflict between Scott and Elaine were settling into an invisible veil between them. Energy began to surge around the duo. A dark aura for Aelita, and a bright one for Scott. They lunged again, and the veil shattered. Putting every particle of emotion that she and Elaine had behind their blade, Aelita plunged the sword into Scott's stomach, making him gasp in pain. Aelita and Elaine made one more sharp upward thrust through his heart and dropped him, but before Scott hit the ground, he reached up, seized Aelita by the back of the head, and made the same motion. They both fell with sickening _thuds_.

* * *

To Elaine, it was as though she and Aelita were no longer on the battlefield. It was as though they had separated, become two separate beings again. They were in a vortex of dark energy, and Aelita was lying spread-eagled on the ground before her. They were both slowly disintegrating.

"Aelita!" she cried, rushing to cradle the only daughter she had ever known in her arms.

"Mother…" said Aelita, weakly, her being almost disintegrated "…I'm sorry…" And she was gone.

"_AELITA!_" A mother's sorrow. This was Elaine's last shriek.

* * *

"_Scott_! _No_!" Connor rushed up beside his mentor, holding his head close to him.

_Normally, I probably would've survived that blow, but with all that dark energy behind it, not even I could stand a chance. Well, I suppose it's my time, anyway. I've been here too long. I've seen too many of my friends die and I've been cheated out of death more than my share of times. Elaine is gone. I can finally rest in peace. I can see Shelby again._

"You can't leave me!" said Connor. He wasn't ashamed to cry. There was no one else around to see it. Scott smiled at his student and put his hand on his face.

"Connor," he said, gently "I've done my part, now, you do yours. And…tell Michelle…I loved her…and…the guys…thanks for everything." His hand fell slowly from Connor's face, the bracelet sliding off his wrist and into Connor's open palm. When it finally fell on Scott's open, mortal wound, he was dead. Through the tears that blurred his vision, Connor looked at the bracelet in his hand, and then at Scott.

He looked more peaceful than he ever had in life.

Connor looked up into the wind, towards the clouds in the distance, and could've sworn he saw Scott and the Cliffhangers Unit smiling down at him.

**The End

* * *

**

_Seriously, writing "The End" gave me chills this morning. Well, that's it, I guess! Thanks to all who read and reviewed, I hope you enjoyed! BTW, if anyone would like to read more adventures of the Cliffhangers Unit during the war, I'll be happy to take suggestions and, who knows, maybe I'll find time to type something new up! (On top of school and homework and my research report and piano and my other long-running fics…)_


End file.
